Press Release - Great Lighthouses of Ireland

LAUNCH 20th May 2015

A “new experience to take your breath away”, that’s the promise from Great Lighthouses of Ireland, an EU funded tourism initiative which was launched today, 20th May 2015, by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe TD and the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

Featuring twelve lighthouses in stunning coastal locations Great Lighthouses of Ireland will offer unforgettable experiences and create a deep appreciation of the role of lighthouses, past and present, and in the maritime and seafaring story of the island of Ireland.

Addressing an assembled audience of two hundred people at the Irish Lights Head Office in Dun Laoghaire today, the Minister said:

Our island’s maritime heritage is a source of pride to us all. This initiative allows us to celebrate and share this with our visitors and with each other. The Great Lighthouses of Ireland is a unique and exciting collaboration between many people and organisations, each with different and specialist skills, who have come together to create something exceptional.

I am particularly pleased that this experience has been developed to build on the momentum of the Wild Atlantic Way and to contribute to our new destination brand, Ireland’s Ancient East. The blend of skills and expertise of public and private business, who are working together, north and south, has created a wonderful asset for coastal communities to build on, and adds considerably to what Ireland has to offer.

With a range of services from accommodation to visitor centres and guided tours, visitors from home and abroad will have the chance to explore the distinct experiences offered by the 12 lighthouses, each reflecting its own history and heritage, nature and environment, people and place, with aspects to appeal to people of all ages and interests.

Yvonne Shields, Chief Executive, Commissioners of Irish Lights, said:

Irish Lights has been operating around the coast - north and south – for nearly 250 years. Advances in technology and automation means that we no longer need as much of the old physical infrastructure at lighthouses to operate our aids to navigation today. So as part of a new strategy we are developing a range of new uses for our infrastructure and tourism is an obvious option for some of our lighthouses. This project celebrates and shares the history, tradition and heritage of our organisation as well as sustaining it for the future.

Through Great Lighthouses of Ireland, Irish Lights has brought together a group of people who are deeply rooted in our coastal communities and hugely committed to our lighthouse heritage,” she continued. “We are delighted to be working with them on this landmark project.

The Great Lighthouses of Ireland project is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA cross-border Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUBP). Lorraine McCourt, Director of the SEUPB, said at the launch:

This EU funded project is a great example of the use of innovation in the creation a highly significant cross-border tourism initiative. I am confident that the project will attract a new wave of domestic and overseas tourists into the region, which will have long-term positive impacts on the local economy, on both sides of the border.

The ambitious and imaginative cross-border project will include the preservation and conservation of the island of Ireland’s important maritime and lighthouse heritage. Great Lighthouses is built on a sustainable economic model and the re-invention of individual lighthouses as visitor attractions and unique self-catering accommodation that can contribute to local communities in terms of visitor spend and tourism employment.

Irish Lights today operate over seventy automated lighthouses around the coast of Ireland, all of which continue to play a vital role in maritime safety.

Great Lighthouses of Ireland partners include the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Irish Landmark Trust, the Royal Society for Protection of Birds, Forbairt Fhanada Teoranta (Fanad Community Group), Hook Heritage Limited, Clare County Council, Ballycotton Lighthouse Tours, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, Valentia Island Development Company and Clare Island Lighthouse. Great Lighthouses of Ireland is also supported by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland.

Provision of new self-catering accommodation in former lightkeepers’ dwellings at four sites in Donegal and Northern Ireland (Blackhead, Antrim; St. John’s Point, Down; St. John’s Point, Donegal and Fanad, Donegal)

Visitor centre and facilities at the upside down lighthouse and seabird centre at Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre, Rathlin Island, Fanad Head, Donegal and tours at Blackhead, Co Antrim

All of these will be open to visitors by the middle of July 2015

2. The Commissioners of Irish Lights (Irish Lights) is the General Lighthouse Authority for the island of Ireland and its adjacent seas and islands. Its mission is to provide aids to navigation and allied services

for the safety of persons and infrastructure at sea, to protect the marine environment and to support the marine industry and coastal communities. For further information see: www.cil.ie.

3. The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural fund Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IVA designed to enhance cross-border cooperation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The Programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and in the case of INTERREG IVA, Western Scotland.

The SEUPB is currently working towards the opening of a PEACE IV and INTERREG VA Programme for 2014-2020.

For more information on the work of the SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu